Math medley at Edgartown school B6
Thursday, April 23, 2026
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THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD TIMES
Volume 43, Issue No. 16
2 Sections
Martha’s Vineyard Medical to launch Tick Center
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Independent practice wants to set ‘national standard’ for care of tickborne conditions as hospital plans to open up-Island tick-bite clinic. BY HAYLEY DUFFY
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COURTESY VINEYARD CONSERVATION SOCIETY
new medical initiative plans to expand care, especially through holistic approaches, to serve Islanders who experience health issues caused by ticks. Martha’s Vineyard Medical announced Tuesday that the practice will open the Tick Center, a specialty center for patients who suffer from tick-borne illnesses and alphagal syndrome, in May. The aim of the center is to provide tools to manage symptoms, immune dysfunction, nutritional challenges, and impacts to a person’s quality of life. “The Tick Center pairs clinical medicine with a coordinated team of integrative health providers, offering a model of whole-patient care for tick-related health conditions not previously available on the Vineyard,” a press release from Martha’s Vineyard Medical said. Plans for this center come as tick-borne conditions increasingly become a public health crisis on the Island, where the press release said nearly half of alpha-gal tests are positive; alpha-gal is an allergy to mammalian products like meat and dairy, triggered by the bite of a lone star tick. This new medical initiative also corresponds to other efforts, such as those by Tick Free MV, to reduce the number of tick-borne diseases and allergies on Martha’s Vineyard, especially through management of the Island’s abundant deer population, and the state Department of Public Health’s decision to make alpha-gal a reportable condition. Deer often serve as hosts for ticks, and are seen as a vector through which tick-borne conditions spread. It was also revealed Continued on A8
Earth Day: Remembering what it’s all about Islanders of all ages fanned out Wednesday across beaches from Edgartown to Aquinnah, and down nature trails from Sengekontacket (as shown in this photo) to Squibnocket, to roll up their sleeves and clean up trash in honor of Earth Day. Launched in 1970, the day of action now pulls together over a billion people in more than 200 countries to focus on the plight of the planet from pollution and the consequences of climate change. Read our editorial about why it is important to remember what the day is supposed to be all about. Page A4.
Judge hands Vineyard Wind a victory over GE, at least for now Huge turbines keep turning while legal battles continue to spin. BY HAYLEY DUFFY
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federal judge gave officials at Vineyard Wind 1 what they wanted late last week and, potentially, Massachusetts residents the energy they need, when he ordered the project’s central contractor GE Vernova to stay on the job, and not be allowed to break their contract on the offshore wind farm. Judge Peter Krupp, associate justice of the Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston, granted officials at Vineyard Wind 1 a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order, which means GE Vernova can’t terminate, at least for now, a contract that guarantees the company provides service and maintenance to the project’s 62 turbines Continued on A9
Chilmark voters show up Residents packed the town’s library to meet select board candidates, but one did not show. BY NICHOLAS VUKOTA
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large crowd packed into the Chilmark library on Monday evening to hear from candidates running for a seat on the town’s select board, just over a week before the town’s annual election. The candidates’ forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Martha’s Vineyard, gave candidates in town a chance to introduce themselves. Most residents attended in anticipation of getting to know the select board candidates, ask them questions, and hear their ideas head-to-head, but one candidate, who launched an 11th hour write-in campaign, was not there. In attendance was Rebecca Haag, who is well-known in her leadership roles at Island Grown Initiative and as board chair of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and elsewhere. She is on the town ballot for the select board. She introduced herself at the meeting and stood before the packed audience, answering a barrage of questions from residents. Not present in person was Katherine Carroll, who wrote a statement which was Continued on A9
NICHOLAS VUKOTA
More than 40 residents packed the Chilmark Library for a candidate forum.
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